Photo: Bean and Grain Merchant

The San Cristobal de las Casas indigenous food market for the initiated can be an intimidating place. It is usually extremely crowded, raucous and filled with unfamiliar fragrances. Each vendor usually specializes in one type of item. This particular vendor specializes in different beans and grains. Others individuals specialize in everything from fresh flowers to dried fish. It is always fun and everyday is different. One this particular day we took home a bag of sesame seeds for making stir fry and freshly ground corn for an attempt at Southern Corn Bread from scratch.

In 2011 Jonathan Look decided to change his life and pursue adventures instead of comfort and possessions. His goal is to travel the world solo; one country at a time, one year at a time. To accomplish this he got rid of most of his possessions, packed up what little he saw as necessities and headed out. His goal is to spend ten years discovering new places, meeting new people and taking the time to learn about them, their values and their place on this tiny planet. He embraces the philosophy that says a person is the sum of their experiences and rejects the fraud of modern consumerism that makes people into slaves of their consumption. He doesn't intend to be modern day ascetic, just more mindful of his place in the world and to make decisions according to that new standard.

In 2011 I sold everything I owned, took early retirement and began traveling the world. It was a pretty radical step, but after living a rather typical American life, a life based on seeking comforts and accumulating possessions, I longed for adventure and experiences far more than holding on to my “stuff.”

I started this blog to demonstrate to my fellow baby boomers that the world is not some scary place to fear, but it is an amazing place, full of adventure, that is still open and available to those who are motivated and curious enough to go out and see it for themselves.